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Friday, January 15, 2010

snoshoe adventures and other noos.....


Hi all,



Trust y'all have had a good week. Mine was rather arduous for various school and family related reasons...but no matter...love FRIDAYS!!..



I have been enjoying going out in the early evenings on Pat's ski trail in the woods. It is really one of our hunting trails towards the plateau...where the guys go hunting.


This trail is in the general same direction as the hunting ground trail but shorter in a way. Also used by our neighbors as a trapping and mushing trail.


I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could use my snow shoes on it. Pat has packed it down pretty good since the beginning of the winter and so it doubles up very nicely for me, who am not a skier...


Some of the trail goes through open and quite solitary areas of spruce forest and brush. Nice to be in the great outdoors all bundled up and enjoying nature while getting a decent workout. Pat says I need to get some small bells to attach to my ski poles so I can make my presence known in the event I come upon a cow moose...hopefully that will not happen...since they can be rather unpredictable...



Here is a link to some pictures I took while out on the trail. I miscalculated on a couple of occasions and was overtaken by darkness, but my trusty led headlamp brought me back to camp. It takes me about 55' to get to what I call the "fish head"...and back home again. The fish head really is a fish head hanging by a string from a spruce branch...well what's left of it that is...don't know who put it there or why...but it's my marker to turn around and come back home...otherwise I would end up at the foothills of the mountains leading to what we call East Fork...the start of the guys hunting grounds.


Course Pat can do the same trail in about 37' but he's on skis so he can cheat by sliding along...while I just kinda plod along...


Good time for fellowshipping with God and praying out loud too.


May called and even talked to her brother Pat. She is still having a grand time, going to Switzerland with one of the couples there and then traveling to the UK to be with my cousins (I think I have about 10 of them from a couple of different aunts - my mother's sisters), she is pretty excited about meeting all of them. Some castle ruins are gonna be thrown into the bargain and she will be in heaven, being the medieval maiden that she is. 


Ironic to me, that May is mirroring my own visit to the UK, Dorset and the coast I made in 1973, when I got to meet my aunts and cousins.


Then after almost a month there, it's off to Spain, Seville, Toledo and Madrid with my sister Karenza who lives in Gibraltar. The family reunion on March, with my sister Marina and stepmom from Argentina, my sister Alexandra and her husband Don, their married kids with their spouses and babies...K has rented the Seville convention site for this occasion...so they can all be housed together there. A great and cheap arrangement. Only 20' away from the big city of Seville. They all are looking forward to meeting May, she has met some of my sisters and cousins but not all of them. K has promised her Toledo, another medieval city full of enchantments for someone like May.


Then K and her friend Gracia from Seville are throwing in a 4 day trip to Italy into the bargain...so May is in heaven...she will see so much and I am so thankful for this great chance for her. Totally unexpected...I see it as  God's provision for May, esp. financially...if anybody deserves something like this it is May...



Originally it was just a Blessington trip and now has turned out to be a 5 month adventure. She extended her ticket to the end of April. So we will not see her until then. Hope she takes tons of pics. So glad she got a nice Canon before she left.


PatLu applied for an EMT3 position in the Matsu borough and GOT IT! He is pretty happy about that, he will be heading out to take his post at the end of this month, in his little blue Subaru that he just got (rather long in the tooth but cld last if he takes care of it)...


Well...no more boring details of the Buongiornes. No farm noos of any import to report...so..."moosings" is signing off...


Have a great week end...I'm certainly looking forward to it!


g'night....


http://http://http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36595&id=1585591801&l=e051754792


Monday, January 11, 2010

HAPPENINGS....

Hi all – it is -52° and dropping.  But, we’re snug as bugs in our little homes (until we have to go out today). 

I meant to tell you the other night that Bro Bob Hilliker made it home from his trip to Phoenix, AZ.  He had an excellent trip and is very pleased with his new prosthesis.  He shared with us on Wednesday night – I wish I could relay all that he said because his story was very interesting. 

Mark Coy came out today to visit.  He preached quite the sermon this morning – I think he took all of us by surprise. 


As you know from my grumpy earlier email, we had a cleaning night at the tabernacle last Friday night.  Kim was pleased with our performance so I guess our time was well spent.  I had a slew of little people helping me in the Mail Room, which is a big mess ' cause its kinda catch all too...boots, ice-skates, winter coats, hats, u name it...all thrown around all over the place. Plus all our extra church chairs and tables. I was not up moving heavy stuff around so it was nice to have some extra teenage arms for that. My Annie and some of her school mates went into the actual inverter room (small enclosed area that houses the large inverter and batteries which power the building's heating system). They took everything movable out and scrubbed the floor, not being aware of battery acid on the tiles so they had to get all their clothes treated and washed or else they would be left with rags on their bodies.....well, from their knees down since they were kneeling on the floor and scrubbing.


Lest you think that this is child abuse...these kids took this project upon themselves totally of their own free will. Needless to say we were all very impressed with the finished project and later on everybody joined in for fresh out of the skillet quesadillas, and hot drinks.


So the Tabernacle (meeting place) is now looking nicer and cleaner. It has got its yearly "do"..

Last night, Tom and Carolyn hosted a dinner for the young people in the tabernacle.  They played games afterwards and did the Virginia reel once or twice.  

Garth leaves on Tuesday for Anchorage.  He is taking one of our huge vans to help transport the Ministry around the state for conventions.  Garth has still been having trouble with his heart and couldn’t get an appointment till he comes back for our convention. 

Well, my house is winding up instead of down so I think I’ll go hide in my room.  Pat has come back from Brookes Range and now is getting ready to go to Matzu and see about a firefighter job-career....we shall see. Hope it works out. I think it is also an EMT job too. Things are never peaceful when he's around I'm afraid.


Gotta run.  Stay warm and healthy.  

Saturday, January 2, 2010

A GOOD START TO A NEW YEAR!!! NOTES FROM GRI AND SARA

Family and Friends,
We brought in the new year with a blast! Check out these links. A good time was had by all, food, friends, family, fun....Thank you Lord.



After the New Year, the temperatures plummeted to -35° - varying a little here and there.  I’m not minding much since I’m mostly inside cooking, cleaning, and cooking and cleaning some more.


I don’t know where to even start since it’s been such a full, busy week.  



Stephen Casey has been here all week with his nice, fiancĂ©e, Melissa Brodeur.  I haven’t even once snapped their picture – can you believe that?  Melissa has been quite the sport – trying on and using bunny boots, snowmobiling to Fish Lake, and much more. They gave their Christian testimony on Sunday morning and one can see that God is really leading them.  They make a good couple and God will use them in their fields. Both off to different parts of the globe once they get back to Bethel Training Center (a non denominational missionary/worship school in Redding CA). She goes to Chile and Stephen to Japan for 10 days each....we have been enjoying getting to know her.



We had a fun New Year’s Eve celebration.  Jake, Zayden (Jake’s boy), and Jason T came out and stayed with us.  Jake brought a pile of fireworks and shot them off in unison with Joey’s fireworks.  It was quite the showing.  During the New Year’s Eve evening, we had potluck dessert, skating, square dancing, games, cooking making, and more.  Bro Rus and Sis Millie showed us how to do the polka before we started in on the square dancing.  I will send a few pictures of that.



Some of the Moms got the younger kids to make and bake sugar cookies and decorate them. Carolyn Geyer made some of her choc. delicacies, some cute mice made with choc covered cherries and kisses, and sno men made out of cheese balls, as well as gingerbread creations.








I think both Rob and Annie had a good time.  Dancing away and snapping photos (Annie) a mile a minute with her new Canon. That was a real score...one never knows with Annie...she can be particular. But this gift was a hit...a mid range little Canon which some call the "teen Canon" for obvious reasons. She got some amazing photos of the fireworks...better than mine since I have not figured out the sync for that setting...there is a slight lag...and I got impatient. The link below will take you to her pics.


Pat was here this time. He had gone on a quick ambulance run with Tok EMS the night before so he was quite bummed out but I saw him off and on interacting with the young folks. He has been going up the mountain and down trails on snowshoes with some of the guys. Unfortunately his snow machine has not yet been resurrected so he has opted to do the snowshoe thing instead. I think there as a trip to Fish Lake on either snow shoes (10 hrs in the snow!) or on snomachines (2 hrs.) but nothing has materialized as yet.



Have been talking to May off and on...she is still happy and planning her visit to the UK to meet all my extended family, cousins, etc. My cousin Carol will be hosting her and since they have some kind of school break in Feb. it will be just right...so glad for that. May is having a grt time in Ireland. It snowed a little and they went on a sledding party...the pics show quite a bit of snow coverage...amazing...that way she won't feel so homesick for AK!...


My sis. Karenza who lives in Gbraltar is getting everything together for the big family reunion in March. Said event will take place in Seville, Spain. She has rented the convention site there to hold all the family. I think the brethren probably gave her a good deal. They can all be together and use it as a base of operations and then do their touristic sorties from there...shld work very well. The bus only takes about 20' from there to the center of town. My sister Alexandra and  her 3 grown kids, spouses and grandkids are planning the trip too...wish I was able to attend but not this time I'm afraid.
Originally my step mom Chi and my youngest sis Marina and her family were gonna make the trip to celb. Chi's 80th...but that fell thru...too long a trip from Buenos Aires to Spain for her...so now its  Alejandra and Karenza and the rest of the fam in the US.


The nicest thing is that May has been asked to attend,  so now she is madly making all these plans to fill in the Feb. time before she goes to Spain in March. Her time in Ireland (3months) comes up at the end of Feb. so she must leave the country then. After the UK, in Feb. and Spain in March. Karen and Gracia (a friend and elder in the church in Seville) have invited her to a 4 day trip to Italy! May is so excited and I am so thankful so many good things are coming her way...a once in a lifetime opp. probably for her...since I don't think my family will all be together again any time soon...amazing how God works!  Then May returns to Blessington at the end of March and stays there until her departure for the US and AK on April 27th.


so that's the scoop....


God is good...looking forward to a good start of the year...it is flying by it seems....


Blessings from all of us in the land of the "frozen chosen"...


Now our next big event is CONVENTION 2010!!....LAST WEEK END IN JAN...


Hope to c some of u then...


bye now




click on these links for more pics...

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Post Christmas noos....notes from Sara and Gri



Hi all,

We are having some mild weather today (12°) after some below zero weather last week and some mighty winds more recently. 

My kids are off playing basketball at the gym in Dot Lake with Tom Geyer and the other young people.  I am taking advantage of the quiet to write to you. 

We are having a week or so break from school.  I’m looking forward to this time to do some catch up on housework and bookwork. 

Kimberli and Seth took the young people and their own children out caroling on Christmas Eve.  The boys rigged up one of the horse wagons with hay bales and lights.  The caroling was rather uneventful until they were on their way home from ATR and somehow the sleigh tipped over.  Everyone went into the snow. 
 
All this week, the high school girls with Kim, Kimberli, and Garth have been fixing baked goods for a bake sale.  It was a nicely done bake sale with piles of things to buy.  The proceeds are to go for our New Year’s Eve fireworks.  After everyone had bought to their heart’s content, Tommy auctioned off the last of the plates, baskets, and pies.  It wall all pretty fun. I think they got like $600 which is pretty good...we will have some nice fireworks...



Oh, and SethJepsen  had a raffle to sell a pie rack that he’d made in forge class.  Jannis Blohm got it and by the pic u can see she was pretty stoked about it!
All this was followed by some games, and, eventually, we got to the square dancing.  Tom and Carolyn are the square dancing teachers with some expert help from Bro Rus. 

Stephen arrives on Monday with his fiancee. 

Rus and Millie have gone to Anchorage for the weekend. 

Bethany C has gone home to see her mom and brothers over the holidays.  Kenny is in Iraq installing generators.  He works something like four months and then comes home for one month.


May has been in touch off and on, having a good time with the Blessington bunch. She and her aunt Karenza from Gibraltar are making plans for the family reunion this coming March...May is pretty excited about it, since she will meet family members she has never seen before, from Argentina and of course her aunt Karenza whom she has never met...



Relaxing days at home, a change from the regular rat race...will be giving Rob some school though, too many out of the classroom is not good for him. He is having a good time, riding the horse wagon and hanging out in the Tab with friends or just with his brother on the xbox....


Have a great weekend.  Take care, 


Tuesday, December 15, 2009

DEC. NOOS SO FAR...



I just ran out to do some errands and encountered a wild flurry of small snow flakes swirling wildly down from the sky.  So far, it isn’t too much snow, but who knows what could happen during the night.  Last week, we did have a couple of days of -25° weather.


Bro Bill Grier came out to preach yesterday.  He was ministered on many things, but I think his point was that we need each and the Lord to be a “whole” person. 


Miss JoAn flies out tomorrow for Anchorage to visit some of her children in that area.  Bethany leaves Wednesday morning to visit her mom and brothers in Kansas.


Monday night has become basket ball night.  Tommy or Jarred take as many kids as they can to Dot Lake to play basket ball in their gym.  My kids really enjoy that.  They have just come home and are pretty wild from having had a couple of good games.


Paul and Jenee Basalyga with their children have moved to Whitestone sometime recently.  Since being over there, we don’t see them as often as we did when they lived in Delta.  They came out yesterday for the afternoon and supper.


Bonnie left today to fly home. They are confirmed to move here, Jim will stay and keep working with the guys. Bonnie has to tie up ends and get her aged relative sorted out as far as getting a place for her over here. They plan to move into the old Milliron cabin, which has a set up for an older person downstairs since M had their aged father with them for a while....


I saw on the facebook posts that Stephen proposed to his girlfriend, Melissa, and she accepted!  So, Stephen is engaged.  They will be coming to visit us later this month.


Oh yeah, this reminds me, Ben Persinger pulled a fast one and married a nice girl over Thanksgiving weekend. 


The last couple of Friday nights, we’ve cut up our butchered beef cows.  I’m not complaining about the beef, I just hate cutting meat alllll the time (meat is not my thing, as most of you know). 


Thursday night, Jepsens took some kids along with Aunt Jeni and Miss Jannis to see the Delta Community Choir sing on the Ft Greely base.  Becky Riche is the pianist and at the last minute had to be the director too.  Jepsens oldest Chris, his girlfriend, her sister, and her mom were also in the choir.  Rachel Lupo (the girlfriend’s sister) sang a really nice solo.  A picture can be seen here:  http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3094673&l=3ccb0c03e2&id=674561568


On Saturday night, Jepsen kids went to Fbks to spend the day with the Lupos.  Sat. we had dinner with Jeps and the Trotskeys. Great meal made by Sarah....made an increadible salsa with mangoes and roasted caribou...which tasted amazingly good (for caribou! haha).



I better save some chattering for another day.  It is presently -5° and snowing.  Have a nice week.  gri b


Here's May in front of Trinity College in Dublin with Jon & Sarah Richie






Tuesday, December 8, 2009

noos...




How is everyone?   Hopefully, you’re having as mild of winter weather as we are enjoying.  We’ve been having 15 to 18° daily.  I guess CanbyCA, was having some below zero weather.  Poor souls.  J


I did want to say that I mentioned in my last email that May Buongiorne was staying in Ireland for six months.  Well, it really is for three months due to immigration regulations.  If something changes, she might like to stay longer, but at this point it is not possible. 


She is planning to go to Spain for a short visit to join a family reunion with my sisters, her aunts, uncles from the US as well as from Argentina. May has not met her family from Arg. and neither has she met my oldest sister K...also my step mom who is gonna be 80 is coming to celebrate... Karenza lives in Gibraltar caring for an elderly Alzheimer's woman, her job is pretty much 24/7 so I know this reunion with all the Hanson siblings (well not me this time) is gonna be a treat. Hope May can make it, she has to be out of Ireland by Feb. 2 so that will be good, then when she comes back into Ireland after Spain she can probably stay another 3 months...although she reports that she is homesick for Alaska...my kids...go figure...such ALASKAN...ahaha!


Pat made it safely home from his piano tuning trip to Barrow, AK.  


Bro Bob Hilliker is in PhoenixAZ, getting a new prosthesis from Hanger Prosthetics.  These people work for the military vets who come home from Iraq and Afghanistan.  The lady who is helping Bob was able to give him a really good deal.  He should have had his fitting last Friday.  Also, while in Phoenix, Bro Bob is able to visit one of his daughters. 


Sarah's  2010 calendars are out and I ordered plenty this year so I wouldn’t have to reorder.  If you didn’t place your order earlier, you can still do so.  If you want to re-look at the photos, here is a link to view them again.  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=119949&id=674561568&l=b4be62889a  or


Bro Wayne and Sis Ann Gentry paid us a surprise visit yesterday.  It was sure good to see them.  Bro Wayne preached on the knowing the will of God. 


Jarred and Jennifer are leaving tomorrow to spend some time in Arizona with Jarred’s brothers and in New York to spend time with Jennifer’s family.  They will be gone for six weeks.


Garth had a problem with his heart last week.  We were all on pins and needles wondering what was going on till the Dr was able to check him out.  Garth was doing his work out and noticed that his heart monitor was doing strange things.  After getting his blood pressure checked and seeing Dr. A, he was sent on into a cardiologist in Fbks.  The cardiologist actually had an opening for him, usually one has to wait months for an appointment.  They said his heart was in atrial fibulation; he was put on cumadon.  They will watch him for a month, hoping that the cumadon will straighten him out so they won’t have to do anything further.  (I’m sure I’m not spelling some of these words correctly – hope you can figure this all out)


John Venebles dropped in to see us twice this week - on his way to and from Whitestone to see his relatives. 


The kids have been working diligently on the hockey rink.  Yesterday and last night, ALL the kids were out on the rink skating till they dropped.  The Lupo girls came out after supper to skate with us also.  (Again, my house, never dull.)


A crew from the sawmill (Thomas, Brad, Bill, Tommy, & Jon) have gone to Soldotna for 3 or 4 days to build a cabin for one of their customers.  Their pellet making operation, when they’re home, seems to be productive and running smoothly.


Jim and Bonnie Mason from Dallas and then from Ava, now from The Land...have officially announced that they will be moving here....a cabin has to be made ready for them and so they are working on that. Nice to have our own cosmetologist in situ...







Here's Rob with his Polar Bear project that he has been working on for the past week. He typed his sentences (with some parental prompting) and the other one looking ever so dapper is a pic. that was taken at Thanksgiving 09....


Ok, I wrote this yesterday.  This morning, it is -5°.  Have a great week!  



Wednesday, December 2, 2009

JUST NOOS.......


From Sara's.......

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Sorry, again, that it has been so long.  I’ve been home from California for a week now.  Since coming home, we’ve had Parent-teacher conferences, Thanksgiving with food and guests (and for me, pictures), a long weekend of catching up, and now back to school.

 

One purpose of going to California was to take Jon Leo Irish home to his mother (and to see my parents).  Jon was happy to be home.  I was home two days before Kevin Jepsen from Montana moved in with us.  Our house has very few dull moments!

 

Toby and Flori came to stay with us during the Thanksgiving weekend, the weekend that passed along much too quickly.

 

Other Thanksgiving guests were Toby and Marie Williams, Rachel Keller, Amaris Rodriguez, Angela Macias, Lewis Wilkerson with girlfriend, Hannah Gomez, Marki and Sam and Adam Geyer, Erica, and maybe some others?

 

As usual, the highschool with Bro Andy cooked us a delicious Thanksgiving meal.  Hannah Mason helped her father this year.

 

We had a small amount of snow last weekend, and then yesterday a wind whipped up blowing most of the snow into huge drifts everywhere.   Today we are enjoying a slight breeze and 16°.

 

Rachel Trotter came home from her Ireland trip on the day before Thanksgiving.  She had a great time over there, and she barely wanted to come home.  Rachel did help May Buongiorne with her initial “Ireland shock”, but now May is doing well.  May will stay over there for five more months. 

 

Patrick Buongiorne left Monday morning for a week of piano tuning in Barrow, AK.

 

The throw-upy version of the flu keeps going around, hitting a new person like every two days.  It’s taking its sweet time to make its rounds!

 

Amanda Nerbonne had her wisdom teeth taken out at the early age of 12 yrs due to her very small mouth.  She has been looking rather chipmunkish lately.

 

This weekend, Ben will go to the Woodway in Fbks for an open house.  He sells a lot of metal wood implements there.  Once a year, the Woodway likes to let their vendors and customers meet each other.

 

Bonnie Mason is visiting for a few days.  Jim has been up here for awhile working in Delta for his brother in law.  Someday, Jim and Bonnie will move here. Which will be great for the Williams family...nothing nicer than having grama and grampa close by...

 

Have a good week, I’ll try to write again soon.  Sarah>>

 

 

 

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

SUPER SUBS FOR SUNDAY DINNER AND OTHER INTERESTING TRIVIA....

Hi Folks,


Hope you all survived the over eating of the past festivities...we did very well thankyou!!
After 4 days break, life returns to normal I'm afraid....


Sunday was my community cook day. Our usual crew had 2 new additions because of schedule issues and we ended up with Kathryn Nerbonne and Ali Squires taking the place of Jo Cox and her daughter Bradie, they were in Fairbanks, visiting a convalescent mother/gamma Lolly...but that is another story.



We had super subs with all the fixings...they were about 3 feet long per table and had turkey, ham, swiss cheese, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and dressing. The french bread was rather tricky to make and I think it could not be any longer because of the width of our ovens, which are already industrial size. One wonders how people make those 5 footers or more than one reads about...special ovens no doubt!


Anyhow, I usually dread my cook day 'cause this body is getting older and standing on my feet for about 4-5 hours is not something I particularly relish. However, our crew boss (Ali) is amazingly organized and energetic, despite, I might add, her own personal physical trials which she weathers with incredible fortitude...but this is also another story...haha!!


The young girls, Katherine, Olivia and my niece Kelsey were also great at just keeping everything in the flow and on the go...I mainly took care of dishes and tables...no brainer jobs is what I specialize in...!!



Oh, lest I forget, we had the able hands of a young brother, Joey Casey. I think he was at a loss as to what to do with himself for the rest of the wintry Sun. afternoon so he popped into the kitchen (where all the ACTION IS OF COURSE...and...err..oh yes!... the young ladies :D  ) and helped us stack the subs and did other various and sundry jobs...very helpful and fun to have around...



Dessert had been previously prepared by Ali (of course) earlier in the week. Frozen orange yogurt with added cream cheese and drizzled with chocolate. A dab of cream whip on top and voila...a dessert fit for a king...I posted some pics on FB...


OK...so the meal went very well and I for one was thankful that the day ended on a good note...and was happy to put my feet up for a while...at home...actually I put my feet into an Epson salt foot bath...mmmm...nice...


Not much noose otherwise. Big Pat has gone off to Barrow (home of the Polar Bear...) to tune pianos for the strange people who live up there. Little Pat is pining to come home and has had enough of the UK, I fear....don't know what we'll do with him once he gets home, he can get rather restless...needs to find himself a satisfying job to keep him occupied for the rest of the winter. May is doing great is Ireland and I hear reports that they don't want to let her go...well, whatever the Lord wants...we all miss her but want her to find her own way and seek God's will for her own life....


Rob's doing great is school...has not gotten sick even tho kids and adults all around him are getting the nasty stomach bug left and right...he is one tough kid...give him some Colloid every am and keep his meds and vits up...so that shld help. Annie was sick for 3 days then went out and got sick for another 2....my spanish class is kinda spotty but I thnk we're gonna be OK...


Talking about Spanish, we are watching "Evita" and the kids are really enjoying it. I got the sheet music to "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"...and Annie and Kathryn who are our best piano players are looking into it...it was all the rave years ago...brought some memories from my home country back, just watching the movie. "Course Madonna, does Eva Peron great justice, although she is kind of a nasty person herself, but I gotta hand it to her, she did look very much like her and got the mannerisms incredibly accurately...I got into a site online and found a kind of study guide to the movie so my students can follow it and also interesting trivia and facts about how the movie was made.  Much of it was filmed in Romania it seems as well as Buenos Aires. Also Madonna had to get special training vocal lessons to be able to hit some of the high notes and soften her rockstar singing voice....I had no idea that someone as famous as Andrew Lloyd Weber (Phantom of the Opera) had composed the music, seems Madonna (who is not particularly liked in Argentina because of her porno persona) convinced the current president at the time to let her use the balcony to the Casa Rosada ( = to the White House for the US) she put on an impromptu show of her title song and they were convinced...lots of trivial but interesting stuff...


Well....gone on for long enough. Enjoying the mild in the low upper degrees....nice weather...17's...


Hope u all enjoy the rest of yr week...


gri